Weakness (6 Days Of Christmas 5)
by Hello Supernova
Summary: #5 of my '6 Days of Christmas' series! Khan has a heart, deep down somewhere. It only takes the right person to make him realise it again. Merry Christmas! One-Shot, Khan/OC


Weakness

Khan Noonien Singh stood in the middle of a bustling London street, watching the inferior beings around him shuffle around to their destinations with a lack of purpose that made him grate his teeth. The snow that layered the roofs like thick, pristine blankets had turned to grey mush beneath their feet, and he nearly growled when a human woman slipped on it, falling into Khan but scuttling off with a scared expression when he looked at him. He smirked. Good for her, being scared. At least the humans had _some _common sense.

He turned around sharply at the stifled laugh he heard from behind him, sighing when he saw the woman he had grown accustomed to over the past few months he'd spent under the alias of John Harrison with her hand pressed to her mouth, her eyes gleaming with mirth.

"What is it now, Kayleigha?" He asked sharply, but his eyes lost their sharp edge in a way he knew should make him shudder. In a way that made him weak.

Admiral Marcus of Starfleet had woken him up from cryo, using him to create weapons of mass destruction. Not that he disapproved, but his crew of Augments was being used to keep him going like a horse following a carrot.

Kayleigha, or Lea, as she insisted to be called by everyone else- only Khan had she given up on convincing otherwise- had been his so-called companion for the time he'd been awake. He had first doubted the woman would be able to keep up with him or stop him from breaking out, but he had soon learnt that Kayleigha was a force to be reckoned with. That, and she wasn't human, like him.

She had explained to him that she was just another of Starfleet's experiments, a superhuman, in a way, except that she wasn't hostile. It seemed Starfleet had learnt from their mistakes. That left Kayleigha with a brilliant mind and increased physical fittness, but she also had better access to all her emotions, not just rage and bloodlust. That, and she was born into Starfleet in a way that made them doubt she would ever try and overthrown them.

She shook her head. "Nothing, Khan. It's just amusing to see people run away from you when you give them that look," She said.

"What look?" He asked impatiently, his confusion irritating him.

"The one that tells me you'd really like to rip their limbs off and feed them to sharks," She remarked, smirking. "But explain to me what we're doing here, please?"

He raised an eyebrow at her. "Kayleigha, it's Christmas. You insisted on taking a day off."

She looked up at him in shock, frowning. "We're here because of me?"

Khan was aware that she had spent the entire time he had been awake with him, assisting him and running around after him like the Admiral had ordered her to. He doubted she was even allowed to leave his side when he slept, and so, despite the thoughts of weakness that ran through his head, he felt pity for her. He felt sorry that he was the reason she was caged up just as much as he was.

"Happy Christmas," He wished her, stoically as ever, but Kayleigha had learnt quickly to see past that, and stretched up to hug his tall figure.

"Thank you, Khan."

She was gone quickly, but took his hand and guided him down the street, paying no mind to the humans that hastily jumped out of their way. She had always been aware of the effect they had on humans. It was like they could sense they were superior, but that didn't surprise her.

"Where are we going?" Khan questioned, but he didn't need an answer when they stopped in front of a small cafe, the window decorated festively with snowflakes and tinsel.

Kayleigha simply smiled at him with the happiest expression he had seen from her in months and knew that he had made the right decision in nearly begging Admiral Marcus for a day off.

They walked into the warm room, taking off their coats as they did, Kayleigha discarding hers carelessly before bounding towards the kitchen door with an excitement Khan had never known. She didn't have to enter, though, as a young man in an apron came running out to serve his customers, halting in his tracks when he saw Kayleigha.

"Lea," He breathed, pulling the woman into a tight hug. "Oh, it's so good to see you! I thought you'd be gone for years!"

She smiled softly, hugging the man back. "So did I, Thomas. I'm supposed to be- I will be. But it doesn't matter, not now."

Thomas, as Khan gathered his name was, let her go, but kept a hold of her hand, patting it sympathetically. "Oh, dear, you'll do wonderfully," He told her confidently. "You know what? I'll be right back. I'm going to get us some wine and some of that lasagna from down the road you like so much, and we'll celebrate, okay?"

Kayleigha nodded, watching the man put on his coat and make his way to the door before he passed Khan, stopping and turning back to the woman. "Who's he, Lea?" He asked cautiously.

She smiled, shaking her head. "He's fine, don't worry. His name is Khan, I work with him... He's like me."

Thomas narrowed his eyes at Khan as he inspected him, but eventually held out his hand for him to shake. "I'm Thomas, I raised Kayleigha, so don't hurt her. I'll find a way to make you pay," He threatened, seemingly not scared of the Augment.

"I do not intend to," Khan replied bluntly, but shook Thomas' hand before the older man left.

"You told me you were raised by Starfleet," He said to Kayleigha, a slightly accusing tone entering his voice.

She nodded. "Yes, but when I wasn't a science experiment or having my brain exploited, I got to stay with Thomas, pretend to be normal- apparently so I didn't lose my humanity like others before me had," She explained swiftly.

She had never been normal, of course. She had never visited a school because her mind was too advanced, she had never played with other children or made friends because she grew too quickly before the aging process slowed down so much she had barely aged in twenty years. Her only safe haven, the only place where she could pretend to be an inferior, normal human, was the building she was standing in at that very moment.

Khan wondered briefly if she was as bitter about her existence as he was, but she flashed him a quick smile, telling him the conversation was over.

"Thomas always took care of me. I'd like to think I owe him my life, he's stopped me from doing a lot of stupid things," She said.

"Such as?" Khan prompted.

"You don't want to know," She sighed, letting herself fall onto one of the worn leather sofas, pulling Khan down with her.

He sat tensely, however, his posture perfect as ever. "You told Thomas I am like you."

"You are."

He shook his head. "But you _feel_. You were not created to lead armies and win wars."

"Maybe not," She replied, leaning her head on Khan's shoulder. "But you feel too. You care."

Both of the superhumans had noticed how Khan's posture had relaxed under her touch, leaning back so she could rest more comfortably. Kayleigha was smart, she knew how Khan worked, little details even he hadn't noticed about himself.

He cleared his throat, resisting the urge to run away because there he was, showing emotions, being weak. But he knew that it wouldn't be fair to Kayleigha, so he stayed, instead hesitantly taking her hand.

"You know war is coming, Kayleigha, and it won't be the Klingons the humans will fight against."

She wasn't oblivious, of course. She knew of his rage at Admiral Marcus for holding his crew over his head, she knew that the weapons he was designing were not for a war with the Klingons. She was aware that there was an ulterior motive, but she didn't question it. The scientists were wrong not to doubt her loyalty.

She shrugged, looking down at their fingers. "It doesn't matter. Marcus deserves what is coming for him," She said.

"That's not the problem," He replied. "I can't take you into a war with me, but leaving you here puts you at even greater risk."

Kayleigha scoffed. "You think I'm weak?" She clarified. "Khan, just because I choose not to fight, does not mean I can't. I have over six-hundred different types of combat in my brain, my strength is equal to yours. I am not inferior to you."

He frowned, his grip on her hand tightening slightly. "That's not what I'm implying, Kayleigha. I just... cannot afford to lose you," He murmured.

"You won't," She assured him. "But I can't stand by your side if you try not to include me."

He sighed. "Very well. You're aware that you'll be giving up any chance of a normal life, aren't you?" He asked.

"I'm a superhuman," She chuckled. "I was never going to be normal."

At that, he gave her one of his rare smiles, reinforcing her belief that he _did_ feel. She knew she didn't simply stand by him because he was the same as her, it was more than that. She was loyal to Khan because he had freed her from being exploited by Starfleet. He had given her the opportunity to feel, even if he wasn't aware of it. There had been no one but Thomas for her to care for, nothing to live for. She was always going to be Starfleet's puppet, and so she owed Khan her life.

"Lea, I'm back! Help me get this lasagna on some plates, would you?" Thomas yelled from the door, his coat turning wet from the melting snowflakes on his shoulders. He held a large container in his hands, a bag dangling from his arm, presumably holding the wine he'd said he was going to buy.

Kayleigha stood up, releasing Khan's hand, but she quickly moved her lips to his to make up for the lack of contact, her kiss conveying a message that it was too early to tell.

"Thank you," She whispered, her eyes showing all the gratitude and care she could possibly muster, thanking him for everything he had done for her- starting at giving her the day off, all the way to saving her life.

And Khan, being as sharp as ever, understood all that, an uncharacteristic emotion flashing through his own.

Love.

"Always, Kayleigha," He promised her. "Always."

* * *

AN: aaaand that's a wrap!

If you check my Twitter you'll know I made some mistakes with this series, so it'll technically be 7 Days of Christmas. I literally just whipped this up and I don't even know how, but my Khan feels are sky-rocketing right now.

Probably because I read an entire fic last night before bed and I started this basically right after waking up. I hope you like it as much as I do because I think it's my best one yet haha.

You'll be getting an Elijah/Klaus fic tomorrow, it's not romance, obviously, but it just kind of happened and turned out quite decent. Probably won't be very popular but who knows, you might like it!

Merry Christmas!

- Nova


End file.
